Welcome to New World of Work: a podcast exploring the new frontier of the modern workforce. In each episode, we’ll hear from some of the world’s best and brightest people and culture experts on the cutting-edge topics HR professionals are most interested in today, explored through a global lens. The show dives into topics like the remote work revolution, hybrid workspaces, mental health and wellbeing, and managing a team effectively no matter where you and your colleagues are on the map. New World of Work is hosted by Rhys Black, Head of Workplace Design at Oyster, a global HR platform making it easier than ever to build a brilliant team on an international scale. Tune in regularly for new episodes and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
Mentorship can be a game-changer, but how do you create relationships that truly make an impact? In this episode, DeMario Bell, Senior Community Manager at Culture Amp, explores what mentorship looks like in today's evolving workplace. From his infectious energy to his deep passion for community building, DeMario shares thoughtful insights into how People leaders can build a rock-solid mentorship program. This episode explores the impact of hybrid work on mentorship with the removal of water cooler conversations and highlights how to foster relationships despite this. DeMario discusses the importance of co-creating mentorship programs and what inclusivity can look like when you design for those at the margins. Don't miss this insightful episode, which is like a mentor itself!This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
This week, Carmen sits down with Matt McFarlane, former Senior Director of People Experience at Oyster and now the founder of FNDN (Foundation)—a consultancy dedicated to helping startups and tech companies master their pay practices. As a thought leader in compensation strategies and pay transparency, Matt brings invaluable insights to one of the workplace's biggest challenges. In this episode, Matt and Carmen dive into crafting compensation strategies that align with your company's vision, building a rock-solid compensation philosophy, and navigating the tricky waters of pay transparency in a global, competitive job market. Tune in to discover why pay is about so much more than just numbers!This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Get ready to dive into a high-energy, mischief-filled conversation with Emily Hinks, the Founder and CEO of Mischief Makers, a future-of-work agency shaking up the way organizations collaborate. Showcasing what can only be described as a mastery of collaboration, Emily and her team are the secret sauce for industry giants such as Spotify, Netflix, IDEO, and the United Nations. This episode unpacks what it takes to master hybrid work principles and why copy-pasting someone else's model just won't cut it. Emily shares her insights on creating a personalized hybrid strategy that fits your team like a glove and provides examples of organizations nailing the hybrid work environment. She touches on the importance of trust, employee policy co-creation, and why hybrid work is more about culture than structure. Whether you're rethinking your hybrid strategy or just love a good dose of energy and insight, this episode is one you won't want to miss!This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Welcome back to World of Work Season Seven! We are so thrilled to be back for the very first episode where Carmen sits down with her former Culture Amp colleague – organizational psychologist, Craig Forman. Craig and Carmen team up to discuss non-promotion-based employee growth strategies and how People leaders can use the data they collect to build thriving workplace cultures. Drawing from his diverse career journey, including military service and corporate leadership, Craig emphasizes the importance of balancing data-driven strategies with empathy and transparency. Additionally, he discusses how organizations can navigate cultural shifts during periods of growth by staying transparent, intentional, and responsive to employee feedback. This episode offers actionable takeaways for People leaders looking to foster engagement, trust, and alignment within their teams.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Join Carmen for an exclusive conversation with Tony Jamous, CEO and co-founder of Oyster! In this episode, he peels back the curtain of his incredible journey—from growing up in Lebanon to building a revolutionary global employment platform. Tony shares the inspiration behind founding Oyster, rooted in his passion for making a positive impact and challenging the constraints of national borders.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
As the importance of diverse talent has continued to rise, conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have remained top of mind for many PeopleOps leads. While much has evolved since 2020, a pivotal year when many organizations made bold commitments to DEI, who has truly followed through? Enter Daniela Herrera an award-winning DEI professional with over 17 years of global experience in talent operations, recruitment, and leadership. Dani offers valuable insights on accountability, actionable steps for implementing DEI, and why HR professionals should look to New York Comic-Con as an unexpected yet powerful example of impactful DEI. In this conversation, Dani explores the essentials of creating belonging, building psychological safety, and ensuring organizational commitments to DEI extend beyond benchmarks. Don't miss this important conversation on what it means to embed DEI everywhere and weave it into all areas of your organization. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
This week, Carmen chats with Cloey Callahan, Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Communications at SUNY New Paltz and former Digiday Worklife writer, to discuss what makes Gen Z tick at work. As a Gen Z-er herself, Cloey shares why this generation's approach to jobs, loyalty, hybrid work, and even mental health is shaking things up. This episode explores the importance of making space for meaningful conversations about Gen Z's needs, going beyond surface-level assumptions, and embracing topics that might be considered “taboo” in the workplace. From side hustles to the impact of social issues, Cloey explains how leaders can skip the stereotypes and connect meaningfully with Gen Z talent. Ready to see your youngest team members in a whole new light?This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
This week, Carmen is joined by Julie Fedele, founder of the Portfolio Career Club and author of The Portfolio Careerist, a popular newsletter for professionals looking to create flexible, meaningful careers. In this episode, Jules dives into how she helps individuals learn to love their work through the development of a portfolio career. She shares her journey to discovering fractional work, a model that's gaining traction among senior-level professionals and executives. Combining this new structure into today's organizations, she discusses how portfolio careers impact PeopleOps teams, as we see the integration of fractional employees into the development and management of permanent teams. Together, Jules and Carmen explore what it takes to build a portfolio career, how it differs from job sharing, and why fractional roles are reshaping the workforce. Jules also offers her insights on supporting non-linear career paths, finding talented leaders ready for a change, and empowering professionals to take ownership of their careers in today's evolving job landscape.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Welcome back to New World of Work! In the first episode of season 6, we dive into a topic that's been on the minds of HR and PeopleOps leaders everywhere: how can HR teams use artificial intelligence in their work? Dr. Kait Rohlfing, PhD, is a trained industrial organizational psychologist and former Sr. Leadership Trainer and Facilitator at LifeLabs Learning. Recently, she helped write a playbook on how PeopleOps leaders can leverage AI in their work. In this episode, host Carmen Amdador Barreiro and Dr.Kait discuss how to maintain people-centric policies in an increasingly AI-powered world of work, when to lean into AI, and why there is real cause for caution in deploying this artificial intelligence in the workplace.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Welcome back New World of Work! In this mini-series, we are focusing on the power of distributed teams to take companies at all growth stages to the next level. In the final episode, Katie is joined by Anamaria Dorgo and Sophie August, co-hosts of the Mapping Ties podcast and expert internal community builders. Anamaria and Sophie are both passionate about the power of internal community, and the importance of nurturing them properly- and not forcing them when they aren't wanted. They discuss successful strategies for fostering community in distributed workforces, strategies for community builders and share examples of successful communities they've helped grow. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Welcome back New World of Work! In this mini-series, we are focusing on the power of distributed teams to take companies at all growth stages to the next level. How do start-ups and entrepreneurs leverage global hiring to build teams made up of top talent? Host Katie McCauley is in discussion with Fredrik Thomassen, founder and CEO of Superside. Superside has been a distributed company since its inception, and uses a global hiring strategy to recruit the best creative talent the world has to offer. Frederik discusses why a global hiring strategy is part of Superside's core mission, the importance of competitive wages, and where distributed teams and global hiring are going from here. Join Oyster's Free People Builders CommunityThis podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In this mini-series, we are focusing on the power of distributed teams to take companies at all growth stages to the next level. Webflow has been a pioneer in leveraging a distributed workforce since 2013, VP of People Mike Podobnik joins Katie to discuss how Webflow has grown and expanded with its team, and the lessons learned along the way. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of a global workforce, and how to foster community across borders. Join Oyster's Free People Builders CommunityThis podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In this episode, Rhys and guest Lauren Razavi explore the world of living as a digital nomad. Lauren has been nomadic since 2013, and is the author of Global Natives, a book about the past, present and potential of work from anywhere. Lauren is also the VP of Communications at SafetyWing, an insurance platform for digital nomads. In this episode, Lauren and Rhys discuss what it would mean to build a country on the Internet, how companies can think about remote and flexible work, and why work from anywhere is the future.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Rajeeb Dey calls himself an ‘accidental entrepreneur.' After starting a venture to help give students a voice in their education when he was 17, he's gone on to launch a national entrepreneurship competition with the government of Britain, and founded Learnerbly, a curated online learning platform that helps organizations make learning part of their culture. He and Rhys have an interesting and enlightening conversation about why continuous learning is so important in the age of AI, the importance of upskilling, and how businesses can foster learning and development. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
What does it mean to ‘neurodiversify' the workplace, and more importantly, why is it important? In this episode, Rhys sits down with Conner Reinhardt, COO @ Mentra, to help answer those questions. Conner and the Mentra team help neurodivergent jobseekers find employers that value their unique skills, and also help educate PeopleOps teams about neurodiversity. Join Rhys and Conner for an educational chat about embracing neurodiversity in the workplace, what PeopleOps leaders can do to create welcoming workplaces for all, and how Mentra is changing and shaping the conversation.
Welcome back to New World of Work! In this episode, Rhys sits down with Ivori Johnson, Interim Head of People, Talent, and DEIB at ChartHop, for a discussion on influencing and convincing C-suite executives of the value and importance of the PeopleOps function. They will discuss making a clear case for the value of the function, especially in remote/hybrid environments, how Ivori uses her DEIB background to be an effective leader, and the PeopleOps ‘PR' problem. Ivori will share her strategies for helping to position the PeopleOps function as the ‘hero' of the workplace and effectively communicate its advantages to C-suite executives. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In this episode, Rhys interviews Amy Spurling, founder, and CEO @ COMPT. COMPT is an all-in-one innovative reimbursement platform that is revolutionizing benefits. Not a vendor platform by design, Amy and her team built COMPT to allow organizations to offer truly personalized benefits and stipends. Rhys and Amy dive into why personalization is the way to optimize benefits, especially for a distributed workforce, and how COMPT supports local vendors. Rhys asks Amy if benefits and stipends can ever become too flexible, and how managers can balance that tension. They also explore how personalization has improved benefits offerings outside of the tech industry. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In this episode, Rhys sits down with Massella Dukuly, Head of Workplace Strategy + Innovation @ Charter. With over a decade of experience collaborating with PeopleOps leaders to enhance organizational effectiveness, Massella emphasizes the impact that a robust and trusting relationship between PeopleOps and employees can have. The repercussions of a breakdown in these relationships are felt throughout the entire organization, highlighting the need for PeopleOps leaders to find solutions and prevent such breakdowns from occurring in the first place. Rhys and Massella delve into strategies to restore and repair these relationships and unveil ways to cultivate a work environment with engaged employees who fuel organizational performance.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Welcome back to a new season of New World of Work! In the inaugural episode of season 4, Rhys sits down with Yen Tan, Co-Founder @ Kona, a Slack integration that allows managers to track morale across their teams. Yen and their co-founders started Kona in their dorm rooms after having a bad experience working remotely and knew something had to change. Since January 2020, they've interviewed over 800 leaders to discover their pain points when managing remote teams and built Kona to solve them. In this episode, Rhys and Yen discuss how to keep remote teams motivated during hard times, strategies for improving retention and morale among remote workers, and empowering middle managers to catch burnout early. Download Kona's new Remote Manager Survival Guide 2023Check out Kona's Burnout Report Learn more about Employee Disillusment with Oyster's Disillusionment Report This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
As we learn to navigate this new world of work, one topic that's become a hot-button issue for many organizations is navigating parenthood in the workplace. Juggling a full-time job while raising children is no easy feat, and it's not always easy to predict what tomorrow will look like—especially for busy working moms. In this special panel episode of New World of Work, Rhys sits down with three working moms to get their perspective on navigating motherhood in the workplace today. Featuring Kim Rohrer, Principal People Partner at Oyster, Lisa Kennelly, Global Product Marketing Strategist at Klarna, and Lucia Aguilar, Founder of TATAM Digital Influencer Marketing, the panel discussion covers how PeopleOps leaders can best support parents in the workplace, why a flexible approach is key, and much more.Download your free copy of Oyster's Employee Expectations Report.We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
From mass layoffs to sky-high inflation, we've all seen the devastating impacts of economic turbulence. During times of economic uncertainty, just keeping the organization afloat can be a tall order for many leaders. As a result, companies often put crucial initiatives like diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on the back burner—despite their best-laid plans. In this episode, Rhys explores how PeopleOps leaders can take steps to prevent this from happening and instead continue prioritizing DEI initiatives throughout times of economic turbulence. He sits down with Manjuri Sinha, Global Director of Talent Acquisition, Employer Branding & Onboarding at OLX Group to hear her perspective on the topic. She shares some of her expert tips and strategies for staying committed to DEI during a recession, including tangible action steps you can put in practice in your role. Download your free copy of Oyster's Employee Expectations Report.We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
During turbulent times, the leaders who are able to embody agility, adaptability, and perseverance will thrive—and so will the organizations they lead. One way to do this effectively is by leaning into the practice of scenario planning, which is one of the topics Rhys covers in this episode along with his guest, Maggie Kolkena. Rhys and Maggie discuss why scenario planning is a critical component of strategic or annual planning, and how organizations can optimize the practice for success. Maggie has been studying leadership development for 25 years, and as a result, knows all about the makings of a great leader and how they tackle effective scenario planning. She's the Founder of Third Thought consulting, and she also recently wrote the book Today for Tomorrow: A Field Guide to Scenario Planning. During the episode, Maggie shares her words of wisdom on leadership, scenario planning, and the future of work. Download your free copy of Oyster's Employee Expectations Report.We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Transitioning from one role to the next isn't always easy, and changing industries altogether can be an even bigger challenge. However, if you're able to transfer key skills from one role to the next, that transition can be a whole lot smoother. That was the case for this episode's guest, Jessica Zwaan, who has made the leap from law to PeopleOps and all the way to her current role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Whereby, a company that's making it easier than ever for remote and distributed teams to connect over video. During the episode, Rhys and Jessica discuss how she navigated the path from PeopleOps to COO, what exactly the COO role entails, and her predictions on the future of the working world. She also shares her expert advice when it comes to making a career move or just making the most out of your current role. Pre-order Jessica's book, Built For People. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report.We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In recent months, we've all witnessed the sad headlines containing the dreaded L word: layoffs. It seems that week after week, another major company is doing a big round of layoffs, impacting thousands of people and families. In this episode, Rhys sits down with an expert guest who believes that many layoffs could have been avoided if these companies had processes in place for people planning and needs forecasting. Warren Wang is the co-founder and CEO of Doublefin, an automated and collaborative resource platform that works to bring finance into the digital world, while making it easy for the teams that work with finance to collaborate and be strategic about resource planning. Previously, Warren held positions at Google for over 12 years, collaborating closely with their people teams to plan every aspect of TA and retention. After he realized how broken the system was, he went on to start Doublefin. During their conversation, Warren shares insights into the steps companies could be taking to avoid layoffs, what processes they need to adopt moving forward, and what the true cost of bad people planning really is. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report. We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
The world of PeopleOps today is becoming increasingly data-driven. Business leaders are demanding more from their PeopleOps teams, and employee metrics are high on their wishlist. Tracking key metrics like retention rates, turnover rates and employee engagement is becoming a non-negotiable part of the job. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Julie Jeannotte, HR Expert and Researcher at Officevibe. Julie is an expert in employee engagement metrics and tracking data to gain valuable team insights. She explains why tracking employee metrics is critical for all PeopleOps leaders today, how to get started, and most importantly, how to turn insights into tangible action steps. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report. We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
To kick off the third season of New World of Work, Rhys explores a topic that's highly pertinent to the working world today, whether you're an entry-level employee or a CEO: workplace well-being. The pandemic has made us all uniquely aware of just how precious our health, happiness, and personal relationships are, which is why many business leaders are making more of an effort to prioritize the well-being of their teams. To learn more about what's new in the world of workplace well-being, Rhys sits down with Sylvia Mol, a thought leader in talent assessment, an industrial and organizational psychologist, and the Head of the Skills Evaluation Lab and Assessment Research Lead at CodeSignal. During the episode, Sylvia shares plenty of actionable tips, ideas, and strategies for PeopleOps leaders hoping to champion employee well-being in their workplace. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report. We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In today's fast-paced world, many of us are constantly looking for new ways to keep up with demand, speed things up, cut out the middleman and be more efficient overall. As many PeopleOps leaders will know, there's always room for improvement, and operating procedures, process and documentation are important areas to focus on if they hope to help their teams become more efficient, productive and satisfied in their roles. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Chris Ronzio, the founder and CEO of Trainual: an app that helps small business leaders systematize and scale in a way that fits their needs. As someone who's passionate about helping businesses develop systems that work for them—not the other way around—Chris has plenty of great tips to share that can be applied to any role. Chris and Rhys cover everything from avoiding burnout to building a more autonomous culture at work, sharing plenty of valuable advice that will ultimately make life easier for you and your team. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report. We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Although there's great talent to be found everywhere these days, this doesn't always translate into diverse hiring practices. As PeopleOps leaders, it's important that we act as champions for diversity and inclusivity as we build and scale our teams. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Hugh Chichester, the co-founder of Niya, a diversity hiring platform that connects underrepresented talent with global job opportunities. Supporting refugees and migrants, ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and physically disabled people, Niya works hard to promote diversity and inclusion in the tech industry while empowering candidates to pursue a fulfilling career in the industry. Niya is also one of Oyster's partners, collaborating on the Oyster for Refugees program, which empowers companies to find refugee talent and hire them compliantly. During the episode, Rhys and Hugh discuss some of the current challenges in the tech industry Niya is helping to solve, how PeopleOps professionals can prioritize diverse hiring practices in their own companies, and why he believes the skills gap is a myth. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report. We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
By viewing the entire company as the end product, business leaders can create everything from offer letters to benefits packages with a user-first design mindset. Similar to the teams that design and build the products that are ultimately shipped to clients and customers, PeopleOps leaders have a golden opportunity to create touchpoints that the entire staff can use, thereby creating a real difference within the organization. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Richard Mabey, the co-founder and CEO at Juro, a company that enables in-house legal and business teams to create, approve, sign and manage contracts in one unified workspace. Together, they discuss some real-world examples of how both Oyster and Juro have been built like products, and some of the key lessons they have learned along the way. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report! Join us at Ascent by Oyster, a free virtual conference where anyone passionate about distributed work can connect to change the world of work, together. Save your spot here! This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
Helping new hires feel welcome and valued isn't a new idea, but studies are showing that it could be more important than ever—especially in a remote working world, which has created unique challenges for new hires and people managers alike. In this episode, Rhys discusses the importance of onboarding and retention with two guests from Bonusly: Lisa Schmuttermair, a PeopleOps Specialist and Laura Saracho, a Content Marketing Manager who weighs in from the people manager perspective. As an engaging employee recognition and rewards platform, Bonusly strives to enrich company culture, so both Lisa and Laura share some thoughtful perspectives and tangible pieces of advice that will help you continue creating a vibrant workplace environment, both on and offline. They also touch on the value of designing a thoughtful and deliberate onboarding plan, timely communications, and pathways to connecting with other team members. Download your free copy of Oyster's 2022 Employee Expectations Report! Join us at Ascent by Oyster, a free virtual conference where anyone passionate about distributed work can connect to change the world of work, together. Save your spot here! This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
With remote work becoming the status quo and teams distributed across continents, the state of workplace communication has changed dramatically in just a few short years. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Joe Thomas, CEO and co-founder of Loom, a video messaging tool that allows users to record quick video messages in place of meetings or written communications. During their discussion, they explore effective strategies for team members hoping to build trust and get to know one another, even if their working hours don't overlap or they're in different time zones. Joe explains how video messaging can foster culture and connection in remote, distributed or asynchronous workplaces, and why it could possibly help to build team culture and reduce unnecessary meetings. He also shares his key predictions for workplace communication over the next few years, including why he believes more companies will shift to a hybrid working model in the future. Download your free copy of Oyster's Global Employment Report! Join us at Ascent by Oyster, a free virtual conference where anyone passionate about distributed work can connect to change the world of work, together. Save your spot here! This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
In the PeopleOps world, fostering a culture of intrapreneurship means promoting curiosity, bringing forward new ideas and continual improvement within the organization. By encouraging people to practice intrapreneurship within their day-to-day roles, PeopleOps leaders can help to drive forward innovation, spark creativity, and increase job satisfaction for their colleagues. In this episode, Rhys explores the concept of intrapreneurship with Yossi Mlynsky, the CEO and Founder of UpStack. As an all-in-one remote talent solution, UpStack helps companies easily hire, retain and motivate software engineers around the world. Yossi shares plenty of tactical advice for PeopleOps leaders hoping to foster intrapreneurship at work and strengthen company culture. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.
From informal chats around the watercooler to team lunches, there's always been room for social connection in the workplace. However, for PeopleOps leaders, the task of maintaining morale and fostering workplace connections has become more of a challenge as teams continue to shift to remote, hybrid or distributed working models. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Rajiv Ayyangar, the CEO and Co-Founder of Tandem, to discuss smart strategies for PeopleOps leaders who are hoping to rise to the challenge of keeping a strong sense of community alive in this new world of work. As a tool that allows teams to connect, hang out and collaborate remotely, Tandem is aiming to help companies bring back a positive office vibe—without the office. Rajiv shares his perspective on the value of creating a tight-knit company culture despite being spread across cities, countries and continents, and how emerging technologies can help PeopleOps leaders accomplish this.
In a post-pandemic era, many organizations have become aware of the need for a more holistic, people-centered approach to benefits plans. Employees have new expectations, and the companies who hope to attract and retain top talent in this competitive market will need to keep up with the changes. In this special panel episode, Rhys sits down with two guests: Ricky Turner, Director of Employee Relations at Facebook, and Jack Mardack, Co-Founder of Oyster, to discuss this issue from a modern PeopleOps perspective. Rhys, Ricky and Jack explore how benefits plans have evolved since the pandemic first began, and why it's more important than ever that organizations listen to their employees. They also outline smart strategies for companies who are hoping to continue prioritizing people in the future. Overall, the episode presents a new perspective on benefits plans and how we can all take a more holistic approach as we learn to navigate this new world of work together.
After the past two years, many people have had a chance to reflect on the values and priorities they consider to be most important in life, and for a large majority of the workforce, finding a strong sense of purpose at work has risen to the top of the list. In fact, according to a recent report by McKinsey, around 70% of people say they “define their purpose through work.” In this episode, Rhys sits down with Nicholas Andreou, the Founder of Impact Edge Consulting, to unpack the reasons why being an impact-driven business has become a strong competitive advantage for companies. During their conversation, Nick explains why a strong sense of purpose at work acts as a source of value for companies by helping them attract, retain and inspire top employees, which is key in today's war for talent. Nick has over a decade of impact experience spanning academia and impact investing, and he's worked with stakeholders including the World Health Organization, Harvard and Big Society Capital. In this episode, he shares his perspective on the current focus on impact-driven careers, especially among younger generations, and why he believes ESG and impact factors will only become more important in the future.
Work hard, play hard. Rise and grind. Sleep is for the weak. Do any of these modern proverbs sound familiar? If so, you've likely been exposed to hustle culture: a mentality that prioritizes hard work at all costs, regardless of any harmful effects it may have on your health, happiness or personal life. In this episode, Rhys explores some of the reasons why so many people continue to romanticize hustle culture, despite its obvious negative consequences. He sits down with the former Chief People Officer at Kickstarter and current Chief People Officer at Fabric, Mai Ton, to discuss strategies for building a well-rounded identity outside of your career, and why this is important for overall mental health and peace of mind. Mai offers her perspective on why companies that recognize their employees have lives outside of work are the ones who will thrive in this new world of work. She also shares more about her own career backstory and why the end of hustle culture is a topic that's close to her heart.New World of Work is produced by Quill.
Great talent is everywhere, but many companies still tend to hire from the same tech hub talent pools like San Francisco, London, or Toronto. While there are skilled workers in developing countries, too, hiring in emerging markets like Nigeria or Argentina can come with its own unique new set of challenges. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Ariel Camus, the founder and CEO of Microverse, an online school that teaches people all around the world how to program in multiple software languages with a unique focus on how to work remotely. Ariel shares his perspective on how remote work is opening the borders to emerging talent hotbeds, as well as key insights into the challenges some face finding opportunities in their country of birth. He also offers advice for companies who are hoping to expand the search for talent beyond their own cities when hiring.
The recent shift to remote work has helped many people find a better work/life balance, more autonomy, and a flexible schedule that suits their lifestyle. The option to work remotely has become a non-negotiable for many job seekers, and companies that don't offer it will struggle to attract and retain qualified staff. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Tushar Agarwal, the co-founder and CEO of Hubble, to learn how the shift to remote work will change real estate needs for enterprises everywhere. Hubble helps businesses like Accenture, Trustpilot and Oddbox navigate this new remote working landscape, offering access to a global network of on-demand workspaces, a curated set of remote work perks and much more. During the episode, Tushar offers his perspective on how the shift to remote work has brought on new and evolving real estate needs like the downsizing of office space or the addition of new elements like hoteling stations or collaboration rooms. He also offers his insights into the remote working world, sharing tips for business leaders hoping to provide their teams with more flexibility and the freedom of choice.
A simple mindset shift can go a long way in any business, but it's a philosophy that can be especially useful in the world of people operations. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Oyster's very own Chief Workplace Officer, Mark Frein, to hear his perspective on the mindset changes we can all make to lay the groundwork for successful people operations. During their discussion, Rhys and Mark explore how a simple mindset switch or even just a shift in language can make all the difference when it comes to managing teams effectively. Mark shares his unique perspective of viewing business as a performance, similar to the ways we think about an athlete competing at the Olympics or a band performing a set. He explains why he believes we can all bring the same passion, connectivity and drive to the business world, sharing key strategies for driving a company forward during its early growth stages.
A remote working environment comes along with multiple perks like convenience, flexibility and enjoying all the comforts of home, but it also presents its own unique set of challenges. For example, remote teams may find it more difficult to form genuine connections and build trust with their colleagues. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Jess Johannson, the Chief People Officer at Tucows, to explore how to bring a team together despite physical barriers. As a global company dedicated to making the internet better and narrowing the digital divide, Tucows is on the leading edge of strategies for uniting remote teams. During the episode, Jess shares her expert insights and tips for building a tight-knit culture while working remotely such as ritual-building activities. She also discusses the importance of taking a customized approach in people operations overall to create a positive, inclusive company culture.
In today's job market, it's more important than ever to learn unique skills that help set you apart from the competition. Companies need to create a culture of continuous learning and upskilling for their teams, not only to keep a competitive edge, but also to keep their employees satisfied and engaged in their roles. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Cara Brennan Allamano, Senior Vice President of People at Udemy. As an online platform designed to help adults learn new things on their own schedule, Udemy reminds people of the value of continuous learning beyond traditional educational settings. Cara holds a master's degree in liberal arts from Stanford University, and in the past, she's held roles in people operations at companies like Adobe and Pinterest. As we continue the transition into this new world of work, Cara offers her insights about how companies can foster a culture of continuous learning and training while working in a remote, globally distributed, or hybrid setting.
Sharing feedback with an employee isn't always everyone's favorite task, especially if that feedback happens to be less than stellar. As many of us move into full-time hybrid roles and the war for talent rages on, it's more important than ever to ensure teams are operating on a solid foundation of trust, respect and mutual understanding. In this episode of New World of Work, Rhys sits down with Shelby Wolpa, the founder of Shelby Wolpa Consulting, for a discussion on how people operations leaders can build a culture of continuous feedback to ensure employees remain fulfilled and satisfied in their roles, while performance issues are addressed quickly and smoothly. With over 15 years of experience in people operations, leading the charge at companies like InVision and InstaCart, Shelby now advises top CEOs, people leaders and venture capital firms to help them in their journey towards becoming people-first organizations. During the episode, Shelby shares her tips and proven strategies for cultivating an environment of continuous feedback at work.
As the digital revolution continues to unfold, creating a sense of tight-knit community has never been easier, but paradoxically, it's also never been more challenging. Building a strong sense of community involves more than touching a few buttons—it requires a human perspective that leverages our unique capabilities to see one another on a fundamental level. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Lars Schmidt, the Founder and Community Catalyst of Amplify, to discuss the process of building an authentic community for people operations leaders. Lars shares his career backstory so far, and he also explains why a strong sense of community has never been more important for people operations leaders as we all adjust to this digital, globally distributed age.
Since 2020, we've all had to cope with major transitions to the way we work, live and communicate, no matter your age, occupation or nationality. Major shifts to the status quo rarely come without a few hiccups along the way, and anyone who manages people for a living knows this all too well. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Dipti Salopek, the Chief of Staff at Snyk, a developer security platform that has seen major growth in recent years. During the episode, Dipti shares some of her secrets for maintaining alignment throughout the organization during periods of major growth and change. She also shares some of the strategies Snyk has implemented recently in response to these rapidly evolving times.
Navigating a leadership role in people operations can be challenging, regardless of where you're located. Add to the mix a global team operating from 100 different countries with a variety of different cultural norms, languages and customs, and things can get even trickier. In this episode, we hear from Cory McGonigle Rose, the Senior Director of People Operations, Total Rewards, and HRIS at Chime. Cory's career has taken her from Vegas, where she currently resides, to San Francisco, all the way to Berlin, so she understands the challenges that can crop up when operating on an international scale. During the episode, she reflects on her time working in Berlin at Delivery Hero's headquarters, where she describes herself as a fish out of water. She explains how this experience helped her gain a first-hand understanding of the tough issues that can come up when managing a team from a global perspective, and offers her advice for people operations professionals hoping to improve their leadership skills.
In many ways, the success of an organization depends on people at the managerial level. Not only is it part of their role to ensure employees are feeling happy, fulfilled and supported, but managers are also responsible for delegating tasks and facilitating communication across the company. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Natasha Kehimkar, the CEO and Founder of Malida Advisors, a team of people operations professionals that helps companies accelerate on the path to impactful leadership. As a people operations professional with over 20 years of experience in global HR and talent, Natasha shares some key insights about people managers and streamlining the communication across teams during the episode. She also shares her perspective on effective strategies for managing managers and promoting diversity within the company structure.
As one of the most well-known event management systems in the world, Eventbrite has been dominating the industry for over a decade. But when the pandemic hit, companies around the world were forced to make some fundamental changes to their business operations, and Eventbrite was no exception—one such change was making the transition to a hybrid working model for its hundreds of employees. In this episode of New World of Work, Eventbrite's Chief Human Resources Officer, David Hanrahan, shares some of the key insights and learnings he took away from making the shift to a hybrid working model. With over 20 years of experience in the people operations field (including a three-year stint at Twitter), David has a wealth of knowledge and insights to share with us about change management, building company culture and what it takes to make a hybrid working model successful.
The shift to remote work has brought on a brand new set of challenges for people operations professionals as they experiment with new tools, approaches and methods to keep teams happy and communication in constant flow. On this episode of New World of Work, Rhys sits down with Kimberly Bringas, Leadership Development Partner Lead at Drizly, to discuss the best ways to approach difficult conversations and conflicts while working remotely. In her role, Kimberly works with leadership to identify development opportunities as their teams scale, and coaches leadership on their pain points and growth opportunities. During the episode, Rhys and Kimberly discuss strategies for recognizing, understanding and diffusing conflict while working remotely.
It's important for companies to create a working atmosphere where everyone feels supported, included, and comfortable with collaboration, but this can become a challenge when team members are living on opposite ends of the world in separate time zones and with a diverse mix of cultural nuances. In some ways, striking the perfect balance can be even more challenging when it comes to managing smaller teams or startup settings that may not yet be equipped with all the infrastructure needed to operate smoothly. In this episode of New World of Work, Rhys sits down with Jen Paxton, the VP of People at Smile, to discuss the challenges of managing a global team. Jen shares some of the learnings and insights she's gained while helping Smile grow, support, and manage a team of 55 across 17 countries.
One challenge that's proven to be a hot-button issue in the HR world recently is the question of whether or not an employee's location should dictate their salary. The location-based compensation model suggests that where an employee lives should influence their salary, while the location-agnostic model takes the opposite approach. In this episode, Rhys sits down with Leia Rollag, Head of People at Wildbit. Recently, Leia spearheaded the company's move to location-agnostic pay—a strategy that ensures all employees will be compensated based on the quality of their work, not on where they live. Leia shares her take on the location-agnostic compensation model and how it can help to level the playing field in remote workplaces.
Welcome to New World of Work: a podcast exploring the new frontier of the modern workforce. In each episode, we'll hear from some of the world's best and brightest people and culture experts on the cutting-edge topics HR professionals are most interested in today, explored through a global lens. The show dives into topics like the remote work revolution, hybrid workspaces, mental health and wellbeing, and managing a team effectively no matter where you and your colleagues are on the map. New World of Work is hosted by Rhys Black, Head of Remote at Oyster, a global HR platform making it easier than ever to build a brilliant team on an international scale. Tune in regularly for new episodes and don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.